Beware: Children at Play (1989)

A mentally-disturbed teenager kidnaps and brainwashes children into cannibalistic psychopaths - but not when the adults intervene.

Director:

Mik Cribben

Writer:

Fred Scharkey (screenplay) (as Fred Sharkey)

Stars:

Michael Robertson, Rich Hamilton, Robin Lilly

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Robertson	...	John DeWolfe
Rich Hamilton	...	Sheriff Ross Carr
Robin Lilly	...	Cleo Carr
Lori Romero	...	Julia DeWolfe (as Lori Tirgrath)
Jamie Krause	...	Kara DeWolfe
Sunshine Barrett	...	Mary Rose Carr
Mark Diekman	...	Luke Domain
Mik Cribben	...	Farmer Isac Braun
Susann Chandler	...	Mrs. Mary Braun
Herb Klinger	...	Franklin Ludwig
Lauren Cloud	...	Dale Hawthorn
Lorna Courtney	...	Amy Carr / Wealtheow
Danny McClaughlin	...	Grendel / Glenn Randall
Stephanie Jaworski	...	Alice Allegari
Lee Kayman	...	Josiah Modicah

Storyline

After several children have gone missing, a writer and a cop decide to get to the bottom of the problem once and for all. As they find more and more leads they discover that their children are being brainwashed into zombified cannibal killers by a disturbed teen.

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Plot Keywords:

parents killing children | human sacrifice | child murderess | children | blond boy | 

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Taglines:

Gut wrenching terror!

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and gore, and for some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Troma

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Goblins

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Troma Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

[All trivia items for this title are spoilers.]

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Crazy Credits

Top-billed actor Michael Robertson is billed as 'Michael Robinson' in the opening credits.

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Alternate Versions

An unrated video release was made which features brutal and graphic murders of small children not seen in the R Rated version.

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Connections

Featured in Best of the Worst: Bloody Birthday, Crazy Fat Ethel II, and Psycho from Texas (2013)

User Reviews

Delightfully horrible!

I had never seen a Troma film before this. I had no idea what to expect. My best friend recommended it, so the two of us and another friend rented it one night and watched it. The results were as follows: My best friend and I laughed the entire time. My other friend became violent. Don't worry, he didn't hurt anyone. The bottom line is, this is NOT a horror movie! The creators may have attempted to make a horror movie, but what they made was a hilarious comedy! The actors in this movie are absolutely horrible! Click on any of their bios, very few of them have been in over three or four movies! THERE'S A REASON FOR THIS!!!!!!! But you know what? They're all trying really hard to do a good job, and I'm certain that they thought that they were making Hollywood gold. Now let's look at other aspects of production. I have a feeling that this is what Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom were looking for when they found "Springtime for Hitler" in "The Producers"! There is no aspect of this movie that is particularly good, which makes everything GREAT! Especially if you are a theatre student, like me. I refer to such cinematic techniques as introducing a character (A psychic medium in this instance) and NEVER closing up on her face! I refer to a man who is getting a crowd incensed, but they never respond with more than a dull "EERRRRR". I refer to a monologue by a Bible salesman (And won't most people in a religious community ALREADY own a Bible?) where in the middle of the monologue the shot changes to a Speed Limit sign for no apparent reason. Then there's the end of the film. I won't give it away, but you have GOT to stomach this movie to see the ending! It's worth it! Trust me!!!!!!